Kentucky basketball’s remade roster sounds good, but seeing is believing

No offense to anyone involved, but this time we’re going to have to see it.

I know, I know, new Kentucky basketball point guard TyTy Washington is the “perfect fit” for the Cats, or so we are told by one of the many recruiting gurus. Word on the street is the 6-foot-3 freshman-to-be from Chandler, Ariz., is among the prominent pieces John Calipari needed to the right the ship for the 2020-21 season.

And, yes, we are told that coaxing a commitment from former Georgia guard Sahvir Wheeler is a feather in Calipari’s cap. After all, the 5-10 junior-to-be from Houston averaged 14.0 points per game for the Bulldogs last season. He also led the SEC in assists at 7.4 per contest for Tom Crean’s club.

And according to the scouting reports, Iowa transfer CJ Fredrick and Davidson transfer Kellan Grady will provide the Cats the perimeter punch last year’s team so sorely lacked. Meanwhile, West Virginia transfer Oscar Tshiebwe is to add the muscle in the middle that was missing from the pandemic edition.

All of that might turn out to be true — and let’s hope it does — but I can’t help but think back to where we were this time last year. Specifically, we were waiting for the NCAA to rule on whether Olivier Sarr, the 7-foot transfer from Wake Forest, would be immediately eligible for the 2020-21 campaign, thus providing Kentucky the link it needed to make a serious run at the Final Four.

It didn’t work out that way. Sarr was deemed eligible to play right away, but he was not quite the difference-maker Big Blue Nation was banking on. Add to that a top-ranked freshman class that wasn’t quite ready to live up to its billing. By season’s end, Calipari admitted, “We were not as strong in some positions as we thought we would be.”

The result: An unthinkable 9-16 campaign.

One of last year’s problems was a near total turnover to the Calipari roster. We’re not too far off that same roster remake for the 2020-21 campaign. New year, another nearly whole new team. The difference this time is a healthy does of transfers (four) are mixed with the incoming freshmen (three).

Admittedly, the newcomers should enjoy many advantages over last year’s necessary health restrictions. There should be a full summer for UK’s new players to find a comfort level with their new teammates. There should be a normal preseason, with normal practices, and a normal pre-conference schedule with some confidence-building cupcake opponents. Best of all, Rupp Arena will have its cardboard cutouts replaced by actual fans.

Still, there are no guarantees. Last year taught us that. Not every five-star guard is John Wall. Not every freshman center is Anthony Davis. Not every new player has the drive of a Michael Kidd-Gilchrist or the sneaky potential of a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And not every group blends into a cohesive unit. We should have more appreciation for those which did and the job Calipari did to make it so.

Another nearly new roster

Can he do it again? Yes. And this Calipari recalibration appears complete. (Hard to stand pat when you’re 9-16). He has two new assistants. He will have at least seven news players on the roster — freshmen Damion Collins and Bryce Hopkins joining Washington, Wheeler, Grady, Fredrick and Tshiebwe — to go with holdovers Dontaie Allen, Jacob Toppin and Lance Ware. The 2021-22 status of Keion Brooks and Davion Mintz remains TBD.

It’s a talented roster, but there are plenty of other talented rosters out there. Nate Oats has added to his Alabama haul. Eric Musselman has even more transfers at Arkansas. Tennessee is also dealing with a disappointing last season, but the Vols appear primed for a comeback.

The experts say Kentucky is, as well. Odds are that’s true. Kentucky might in fact be back. But feeling a bit burned by the hype train, we want to see it on the court.

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